All He Needs
by Kokolo
Summary: A Damien based fic that occurs a few years after Sbk2. Oneshot, slightly brooding. Not all that bad though.


Ok, This fic is Damien based, and occurs uhm, lets say 9 or so years after SbK2. You see, after seeing all the fics where Damien was nothing more than an extra character or the bad guy, I felt that he deserved a break for once. Be warned, the story is slightly angtsy and has 1 or 2 bad words. One-sided Nancy/Damien, and some other pairings that are just put in to push the story along. Enjoy, and remember to review: )

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He stood on the highest peak on the course. All alone, as always. It's always been that way… ever since he showed up in Snowboard Town. It was hard, but he got along just fine.

He'd changed since he first came. Granted, he still had his light-blue skin, though darkened slightly from in the time spent on the various snowboard courses. His fingers were now long and thin, pointed at the end. His spiked hair that pointed back rigidly was now soft and thick, reaching down to the middle of his back and over half his face. His horns hadn't grown, so they lay hidden under the mass of black on his head. He had grown enough to fit his nose… either that or his nose had shrunk to fit his face. Now standing at 6'1" he towered over most of the others, except for Tommy who was a behemoth in his own right.

Because of his growth, he had to make a few changes in his wardrobe. Long gone were the warm coat and snow pants he once had (he kept them in a trunk he found once in his paper route). Now he had black jeans and a sewn-up patchy coat he had made himself. Sometimes he was seen with goggles, but they often broke because of his horns. He was also seen with a warmer coat at times… that is, until the original owner of the coat had found him and taken it back; often by unnecessary force. He still had his snowboard; a star board he had saved up two years of his money for. The leg straps had worn through a few times, but it wasn't anything he couldn't or didn't fix.

He wasn't the only one who changed. The whole crew had changed. Slash was still the ass he always was. He still had that stupid band aid on his cheek, and his head was as spiky as ever. His nose had shrunk… a little. It still looked like a fleshy bubble… one that would pop with a comical whoosh if pricked with a pin. Jam wasn't nearly as bad as he was. He'd matured and become rather understanding of other people. He acted liked the group social-therapist. He still looked the same, the two white strips on his nose still affixed and dreads still in place. His style had changed though; loosing the pseudo-New York rapper for more modest clothing. Both he and Slash still played tricks occasionally, but it was more Slash than Jam these days. The only one that really didn't change was Tommy. He was still kind if not a bit dense, and his girth only seemed to grow with his height. Still had those band- aids too; which was a good thing considering that either ran into something or fell over himself every two seconds.

The girls were basically the same way. Wendy, though two years younger, was in the same grade as the rest of them. She was still smarter than any other person ever seen in Snowboard Town; Sweeter and shyer than most as well. She had since ditched the swirly glasses in favor of a nicer, smaller pair. She had grown a bit too, though she remained the smallest of the group. Her opposite, in height and personality, was Linda. Rather than shunning her parent's copious fortune as she had done in her younger years, she now used it to her advantage; buying all the latest styles and most expensive things she could find. She was the 'popular' one, yet she still hung around with her old friends. Perhaps not as snobby as one may think, but still had the 'superior leader' mentality. And then there was Nancy… Nancy… she had changed so much. She had grown too, now the middle in height among the girls and the boys. Her light blond hair still just barely brushed her shoulders. She had dumped the overload of pink she had worn as a child for more various colors, though she seemed to favor blue over the others, saying it suited her better than the rest (to which he agreed). Her personality was as caring as ever, doting on who or whatever had injuries. She would often help total strangers if given the chance. She was also the peacemaker between the rest; oftentimes being the only one who could calm him down when he was on the brink of punching someone's (almost always Slash's) face in.

That thought alone made him smile. Anything about her made him smile… but it wasn't to be. The gang had all mutually changed in to very big ways… except for him. The fact that they had fallen away from snowboarding was something that really seemed to be expected from the rest of the town… except for him. He was the only one who continually made a habit out of the sport. Slash had often joked that it was the only place he could actually do something right, after which Nancy would scold him.

That wasn't the most damaging news to come to the boarder. It was the fact that the entire crew had hooked up with each other that bothered him most. Jam had asked Linda to go steady at her 15th birthday bash; to which she replied with an ecstatic yes and a rib-crushing hug. Tommy had asked Wendy out during science class, in the form of a note which the teacher had taken from them, only to smile and set it back down. Nancy… Nancy had hooked up with Slash the night of the middle school graduation. They had met behind Mr. Dog's Snowboard shop, where Slash had given her flowers and asked her to go with him to the dance. She had accepted, in the form of a giggle and a kiss. He had seen all of them, every single one. It was the last one that left him broken beyond all recognition, at least for a little while.

He became even more of an outcast after those came into play. A seventh wheel. He had nothing, really nothing.

He only had his board and the slopes, and that was all he needed… or that's what he told himself anyway. He was fine by himself… though, he really wasn't by himself if he thought enough about it. Coach was still on his side, no matter how many times he promised himself 'he'd quit this god-forsaken business.' He was a good penguin, despite him being a little crazy. Mr. Dog was there too… though he was getting on in years. In fact, it was Mr. Dog that helped him get somewhere warm and relatively dry to stay in after he had found him outside in a hollowed-out ice cave. It wasn't a home, not really a house, but more of a shelter of sorts. One of the only things he rightfully possessed as his own.

He still had the crew in some aspects… they did call on him every once and a while for get-togethers and parties and that sort of thing. He often left early or made up an excuse though, the reason being that whenever he did show up he felt shunned and alone after the first couple of hours. Jam was a close friend, talking him through the random spurts of depression he went through. A social therapist, a good one too. Nancy was always there for him… she still had yet to miss one of his races. She even came over every once and a while to cook for him. It made him happy and sad to see her; happy to have her near him, but saddening to know it was not meant to be. Perhaps it was love, but that thought was quickly shunned in favor of not feeling that ache in his chest again.

He had the basics of human living. That was already a plus, considering he was sure he wasn't a human to begin with. He had what he had, and he wouldn't dare complain for fear of loosing it. No, he had more than that. He had this; the course, the wind biting at his face, his board and fresh snow under him. This, this was enough to keep him going, to keep him alive for one more day.

He let his weight shift, and he felt himself falling into his old routine.

This was all he needed.


End file.
